Pineapple Chips

Sweet. Tangy. Chewy. and oh so good!

Pineapple Chips are natures candy.

Personally I don’t have a sweet tooth! Surprising to hear, I know. If I had a choice between beef (100 %grass fed of course) and fruit, I would choose the beef. Though, I know that most people crave sweets and giving up candy or deserts is a hard thing to do on the GAPS diet.

.

Snack:

These are my mom’s favorite snack. I used to make them by dehydrating at 135 degrees, like the dehydrator instructions said. Though, it was my mom who wanted to keep the enzymes, so she cranked down the temp to 100 degrees! My smart mommy 🙂 She is always on the go, and these are perfect to bring in the car without the juicy fruit dripping down her arms 🙂

.

Taste:

Pineapple chips are the perfect sweetnessand chewiness. The first bite gives you a burst of sweet-pineapple-flavor that literally has a party in your mouth 🙂

The texture can be either very crunchy (like a chip) or a little chewy (like a chewy candy). Your choice.

Make sure to use ripe pineapple, so the sweetness and flavor can really makes its boldappearance!

.

Nutrition::

Pineapple chips provide special nutrients to us. They are filled with Enzymes! Enzymes help to digest all our other food. They help keep your digestion smoothand sound. The main enzyme in pineapple is called bromelain. Bromelain, is also known to boost immune function, is anti-inflammatory, and helps speed healingof scrapes and scabs.

.

.

Keep the Enzymes!

To keep the enzymes in pineapple chips, you need to dehydrate at a low temperaturee. Dehydrating at a low temperature will ensure the enzymes stay intact and do not become denatured or unraveled. I would suggest using a dehydrator for this and keeping the setting at 100 degrees. If you don’t have a dehydrator, then an oven can work, but the enzymes will most likely not be active (in the end) due to the higher temperature. No worries, the taste is the same!

.

Preparation:

Honestly, there is not much you need to prepare for this. I just wanted to give you a few things to think about. We don’t buy organic pineapple, because it is considered one of the “clean” fruits. Your peel a good layer of “skin” off anyways.

Also I don’t de-core my pineapple(as you can see in the picture). It seems like the pineapple stays more intact in the 1/2 wedges when I keep the core in. I once took it out, and I ended up having little pieces, because they fell apart. If you are going for small chunks, then maybe taking the core out is your way to go! It is edible, but you can just eat around it, if it is too hard for your taste.

INGREDIENTS:

1 pineapple

.

.

DIRECTIONS:

1. Chop off the top and bottom and cut off the edges “skin” of the pineapple (I find a serrated knife works the best). Keep the pineapple whole

6. Take them out of the dehydrator and test for preferred texture (crunchy or chewy). They will harden more as they cool.

.

7. Store extras in a glass ball jar! Enjoy your GAPS “candy”

.

.

*Quick way:

if you want to make this faster. Crank the temperature up to 135 degrees and dehydrate 7-12 hours. But remember you will ruin the enzymes. The longer version is more beneficial for your body, just be patient!

**Oven directions:

5. Dehydrate in oven for 5-10 hours on 135 degrees. (If your oven does not go this low. Just start checking the pineapple after 4 hours. You don’t want it to overcook!) Flip a few times during the process.

.

6. Take them out of the oven and test for preferred texture (crunchy or chewy). They will harden more as they cool.

.

7. Store extras in a glass ball jar! Enjoy your GAPS “candy”

.

..

.

P.S. Do you like the rainbow theme today! Pineapple chips are just something to be so happy about!